Fans stay after the Sooner ball game to watch Texas finish with Texas Tech after the college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the University of Nebraska Huskers (NU) at the Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium, on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008, in Norman, Okla. BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN

NORMAN — From outside the Red Room came the roar.

It came from down the hallway, from Sooner gladiators gathered around an equipment room, after their 62-28 dismantling of Nebraska.

Either from down the hallway or all the way from delirious fans in Lubbock, Texas.

“We know who just scored,” Bob Stoops said.

Yep. His old pal Mike Leach. Texas Tech’s stunning defeat of top-ranked Texas, earned with a last-play touchdown just as Stoops’ post-game press conference ended Saturday night, restored hardware hope to the Sooners, not to mention Cowboys and the Red Raiders themselves.

The Big 12 South race is not over. Not over by a longshot.

“It gives you life,” Stoops admitted, still a little shocked at the news that Tech’s Graham Harrell hit Michael Crabtree with a 28-yard TD pass with one second left.

“No kidding?” Stoops said when told the news. “How about that?”

Welcome to the wild, wild Big 12 South.

This is like one of those grand old baseball pennant races, where a team wins early, then retreats to the locker room and listens on the Philco, hoping for good news.

Good news arrived after OU took care of business, routing Nebraska with a first-quarter flurry: 28 points the first 5 1/2 minutes and a 35-0 lead after one quarter.

“We should have never lost to Texas,” said OU defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. “But since we did, that helps us out a lot. Lets us know we’re back in control of our own destiny.”

The particulars are confusing. But here’s a quick primer, for both OU and OSU.

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by Berry Tramel

Columnist

Berry Tramel, a lifelong Oklahoman, sports fan and newspaper reader, joined The Oklahoman in 1991 and has served as beat writer, assistant sports editor, sports editor and columnist. Tramel grew up reading four daily newspapers — The Oklahoman,...